All the arguments that liberals have droned on endlessly over, have already been proven false by a "dumb ox"centuries ago who possessed Holy and Sacred Intellect. With the progressivists' theses full of errors, wouldn't you think, if there is any intelligence in their craniums, that they would realize the only solution is to return to the solid, stable and fail-safe Thomistic Thinking?

"St. Thomas Aquinas stands as the quintessential sacred scholar as evidenced by his writings and teachings. For Aquinas all knowledge could only lead to God and to recognition of God as the source and conception of all good things. His Five Ways demonstrated God as the unmoved First Mover, the uncaused First Cause, The Necessary Being from which all else is derived, The Perfect Standard to which all else must be compared, and the Intellectual Designer of The Universe. It is in the superior intellect of Aquinas that we find the meeting place of knowledge and humility, of observation and simplicity, and of education and action. There is no doubt that education without application of that education is education limited. However, education without sacred application of that education is education misplaced. Thomas stands as the true sacred scientist who observes reality and brings it to all of us likely to miss that reality in the distortions of this society steeped in its own soup of self-absorption and superiority."

In a society where increased intellect often seems to go hand in hand with increased arrogance, secularism, and/or liberalism, it is helpful to consider one of the greatest intellects of all time as a prime example of superior intellect raised to its highest level by its own humility.

Great Scholar and Saint

Today is the feast day of St. Thomas Aquinas wjp stands as one of the greatest of all saints. He is a paragon of intellect raised to its highest expression as an instrument of both education and veneration of God Almighty. As the author of Summa Theologica and other transcendent works, Aquinas became an explorer probing the highest philosophical and theological strata in an air of sanctity and veneration of The Divine Creator. While many stereotype saints and holy figures as uneducated and unsophisticated, Aquinas shines as an illustration of how intellect, simplicity, and humility can not only co-exist but can actually merge to elevate each of these three traits to a heavenly level. One can not help but be impressed by this great saint's ability to combine supreme intelligence with extreme simplicity and utter humility in the service of God Almighty. It is not surprising that Thomas is the patron of Catholic education for he epitomizes the ideals that Catholic education used to uphold and in many ways has now forgotten, ignored, or demoted.

The Scourge of Secular Intellect

This society is replete with examples of secular intellect, with its arrogant intolerance for spirituality, religious contemplation, and recognition of the divine and sacred. One would surely conclude that it is impossible to be an intellectual without rejecting God Almighty if one only considered the legions of academics and scholars who daily venerate their egos and pray to their intellect verbally and otherwise. It is this kind of self-absorbed effusion of pompous knowledge which spurred revolutions of all kinds, be they clothed in noble robes or not.

Just recall the lines of tenured imbeciles who attacked Mel Gibson and his movie last year or who don a monocle to probe religious themes and contents as if what came out of their mouths mattered to anyone other than their own ears so enamored of their shrill tones. Just observe the lists of prominent scholars and intellectuals who daily spew their trash into the minds of susceptible and malleable students entranced in their prominence, publications, platitudes, or preaching. It is no wonder that few if any apparitions of a sacred nature ever opted to appear to these credentialed, counterfeit cooks. There is no doubt that they would either ignore the blessing or reach for a microscope, telescope, or stethoscope to probe the vision!

So clueless are these morons, however, that they are the first to wail in shock when God Almighty graces the ignorant, uneducated, poor, and other marginalized people with special blessings and privileges. Did not Bernadette and Juan Diego face the mocking ridicule of intellectuals? Did not Our Lord show great disdain for the so-called intellectuals who strutted above others? It surely looks like the Scribes, Pharisees and Sanhedrin have not changed one iota in 2000 years.

Secular versus Sacred Intellect

There is nothing wrong with developing and fostering one's intellect as a means to reaching one's full potential for service and good. It is indeed a blessing from God to have both the means and the opportunity to educate oneself as a way of developing an appreciation for the beauty and wonder of God Almighty's creation and discovering ways to use that creation to improve lives. Intellect is a noble and positive good in and of itself as long as it is used to make the world a better place and help others to live better lives within the context of God Almighty's Word and Will and Christ's teaching and example.
It is when that intellect distances itself from God and blindly embraces the secular that it begins to deteriorate and corrupt into something negative, destructive, immoral and, ultimately, evil. One need only look at such things as stem cell research and distorted "scientific" findings which contradict God's Laws to see the evil of such intellect.
Ultimately and carried to its logical end, secular intellect is the path to total rejection of God and complete acceptance of the devil and his lies. On a purely practical and human level, we have all seen how arrogance can stain skill and knowledge with distasteful tones. Nobody enjoys a pompous, arrogant, conceited, patronizing know-it-all and few ever truly learn from such people because their self-absorption gets in the way of compassion, understanding, and a genuine desire to serve.

Contrasted with such useless secular intellect is that intellect which, like secular intellect, reaches its highest level but chooses the path of God. It is only when intellect makes this decisive choice that it moves beyond its mere material and secular parameters and transcends into the realm of Heaven. The logic is simple yet powerful. God is all good and therefore all that is good comes from God. Intellect is good in and of itself and therefore it comes from God and must be used to serve Him. When used for its proper purpose of serving God, the intellect reaches its ultimate and transcendent height. When used improperly to serve only man and ignore God, however, the intellect debases itself and falls into the service of the devil and his purposes. Much of the world's present intellect is now being used for this corrupt and despicable purpose. No amount of rationalized dribble pretending to do moral good can conceal the fact that the intellectual endeavor is ultimately being used against God's Word and is therefore inherently evil. This is why embryonic stem cell research can never be a moral good and those who claim it is either are dishonest or in denial!

Sacred intellect is best identified by two critical characteristics which clearly differentiate it from secular intellect. First, sacred intellect always respects and adheres to the authority and majesty of God Almighty. Second, in view of the first characteristic, it follows that sacred intellect combines knowledge with humility and simplicity.
Sacred intellect demonstrates humility because it inherently recognizes, accepts, and honors the fact that it is and always will be subservient to God Almighty. Sacred intellect demonstrates simplicity because it inherently recognizes, accepts, and respects the fact that truth is found in simplicity and God is truth, therefore God is found in simplicity as well. Again, let us look at such people as Bernadette and Juan Diego and at such events as Lourdes, Fatima, and Guadalupe to see that the sacred thrives in simplicity and is strangled by complexity.

The Sacred Scholar

St. Thomas Aquinas stands as the quintessential sacred scholar as evidenced by his writings and teachings. For Aquinas all knowledge could only lead to God and to recognition of God as the source and conception of all good things. His Five Ways demonstrated God as the unmoved First Mover, the uncaused First Cause, The Necessary Being from which all else is derived, The Perfect Standard to which all else must be compared, and the Intellectual Designer of The Universe. It is in the superior intellect of Aquinas that we find the meeting place of knowledge and humility, of observation and simplicity, and of education and action. There is no doubt that education without application of that education is education limited. However, education without sacred application of that education is education misplaced. Thomas stands as the true sacred scientist who observes reality and brings it to all of us likely to miss that reality in the distortions of this society steeped in its own soup of self-absorption and superiority.

The Ironic Patron

Given the role and character of Aquinas, it is most ironic that he is the patron of Catholic education given how increasingly distant that education is moving from God.
It is precisely because this education has sold itself to the secular and the modernist that it has lost its special and unique purpose and ability to impart intellectual humility and thus sacred intellect. Its intellect is now mostly if not completely secular and therefore its contribution to society and the world has deteriorated to that of pathetic hypocrisy.
No longer the bastion of God's Word made intellect, Catholic education has now become a mere secular institution costumed as sacred vehicle. While this charade may be amusing in a masquerade ball, its presence in the education of future Catholics is nothing short of a demonic tragedy whose impact is already widely felt in the political, social, doctrinal, and liturgical arenas. It is this distorted and twisted Catholic secular intellectualism which has spawned the likes of Cuomo, Kerry, Pelosi, and other so-called "modern Catholics" who are each a mockery of a once proud faith. As has unfortunately become the norm, the institution of Catholic education has become the antithesis of what its patron stood for.

Conclusion

In a world and society which increasingly forgets its God in a sea of intellectual distortion, we must realize that intellect is a moral good only when it is directed toward its God and as such may be termed sacred intellect. When directed away from God, however, intellect may be called secular intellect and as such it is a prime instrument for evil and ultimately serves only the devil and his works. Aquinas shows us how sacred intellect is so because it combines knowledge, humility, and simplicity in the service and recognition of God as the Supreme Being and Designer of all creation. He is the antithesis of those intellectuals who lose God either intentionally or not while in the service and veneration of man to the exclusion of God. As we have forgotten or ignored Aquinas, we have slipped into becoming the latter type of intellectuals to our own downfall. These secular enemies of God are one of the chief agents of The New Order and it is therefore critical that we seek Aquinas and his example if we are to return to the path of God!

Editor's Note: We are pleased to announce Gabriel Garnica will be contributing many articles in 2004. Heaven is once again under attack by those who would seek to ignore and overthrow God's majesty and authority. Gabriel Garnica, educator and attorney, will submit regular insights and commentaries to remind and help guide readers toward a deeper and more assertive faith. Touching on topics and issues ranging from personal faith, doctrine, education, scripture, the media, family life, morality, and values, Gabriel's notes will be music to traditional ears but unpleasant tones to those who have bought into the misguided notions so prevalent and spreading in today's Catholic world.